Fire-escape.



No. 636,605. l Patented Nov. 7, lss. H. D. T. wlLsoN.

FIRE ESCAPE.

(Application led June 12, 1899.)

(No Modeln UNITED STATES ATENT Tirion,

HARRIETT D. T. WILSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 636,665, dated November Tf, 1899.

Application led .Tune 12, 1899. Serial No. 720,231. (No model.)

To @ZZ whoml t may concern.-

sON, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fire-escapes, and particularly to that class of fire-escapes in which a cage or receptacle is adapted to be raised and lowered from a window on traction-ropes, forming ways on which the cage or receptacle travels; and it has for its object to provide a simple, inexpensive, safe, and reliable lire-escapeiof the type referred to having a flexible cage or receptacle that operates to closely embrace the person descending from the building, and thus prevent him from falling.

To these ends my invention consists in the features and in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, and particularly pointed outin the claims following the description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, wherein- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my iinproved lire-escape in place on a building. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal view of the cage or receptacle, and Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the same.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the cage or receptacle, comprising a sack or pouch made of stout canvas or other suitable flexible material and open at its upper end and at its upper side or edge, as shown. The bottom of the sack or pouch is made of double thickness or two plies of fabric 2 and 3, stitched or secured together transversely at regular intervals, as. indicated at 4, forming a series of pockets in each of which is inserted a flat rectangular piece of wood 5 or other suitable rigid material. The plates or sheets 5 act as stieners which operate to form a firm and strong bottom to the sack or pouch and hold it distended, but being made in separate sections inserted in individual pockets the bottom of the sack or pouch is permitted to yield longitudinally to accommodate itself to the person and may readily be folded up into a compact form for storageor transportation. The edges of the upper open side of the pouch or sack are folded or Be it known that I, HARRIETT D. T. WIL- doubled back upon the fabric and secured thereto, as at 6, and through said doubled or folded edge is passed a rope 7, that projects beyond the upper end of the pouch and at its ends is formed into loops 8. Straps or loops 9 are attached to theinner sides of the sack or pouch adjacent to the edges 6, and through said straps or loop is passed a rope 10. Each end of the rope l0 is. carried over to the opposite edge of the sack or pouch and is then fastened to the loop 8, whereby the rope 10 is doubled at the upper end of the sack or pouch, as indicated at l1. To each longitudinal side edge of the cage or car, composed of the iexible pouch or sack, is connected a plurality of separated guide-pulleys 12. These guide-pulleys travel on the two stretches of a traction-rope, consisting of a single rope 13, which is passed through the pulleys on one side of the pouch or sack and is then turned and passed through the pulleys on the other side, the ends of the said rope being formed into loops 14, that are adapted to be slipped over a bar 15 for the purpose hereinafter explained. To the center of the doubled portion 11 of the rope 10 is 'secured one end of a hoisting and lowering rope 16, Which passes through a pulley 17, to which is attached a loop 18, also adapted to be slipped over the bar 15.

The operation of my device is as follows: To use the device, the loop 18 of the pulley 17 is slipped over the bar 15 to the center of the latter and the loops 14 on the ends of the traction-rope are slipped over the ends of the bar, after which the bar is arranged transversely on the inner side of the Window-frame and the ends of the ropes and the pouch or sack thrown out the Window. A person below secures the end of the doubled tractionrope to any convenient fixed object opposite the burning building-as, for example, a railing, hitching-post, lam p-post, or tree-or may be held by people on the ground, or where the street in front of the building is very narrow it may be carried through a window in a building on the opposite side of the street and there secured.- The traction -rope having been secured in place, the pouch or sack is hoisted up by means of the rope 16 to the Window. The traction-rope being a single IOO rope doubled as described and secured at its doubled end to the ground and at its ends near the ends of the bar l5, it follows that the two portions of the rope diverge or spread apart from the ground up to the window. Hence when the pouch or sack is hoisted up to the window its sides are opened and distended by the pulleys traveling upon the traction-rope in readiness for the reception of the person wishing to escape. The latter then grasps the rope 16 and steps into the sack or pouch and disposes himself in a sitting or reclining position therein. Theweight of the person will operate to draw the two portions of the traction-rope toward each other, thereby causing the sack or pouch to closely embrace or envelop him and prevent him from falling out. The rope 16 is now lowered away, permitting the pouch or sack to travel down the traction-rope on its pulleys. After the person has stepped out of the pouch or sack the latter may be returned to the window by the hoisting-rope 1G. The hoisting and lowering of the sack or pouch may be performed either by the escaping person or by others on the ground, the latter method being of necessity employed in rescuing invalids and children.

W'hen not in use, the entire device may bc folded up into a very small and compact parcel and stored or hung up in any convenient place.

It is evident that the traction-ropes may consist of two separate ropes, the lower ends of which may be secured to the same fixed object; but for the sake of greater simplicity in using the device and to prevent confusion I prefer to make the traction-ropes of a single piece of rope doubled as described.

I have described the cage or receptacle as comprising a sack or pouch made of stout canvas or other suitable flexible material; but it may be made of rigid material-such as wire-netting, iron, steel, or the like-and may be made of a sufficient capacity to carry two or more persons.

The invention may also be employed at su mnier resorts as a pleasure chute or car and also for conveying invalids from one point to another without injury.

Having described my invention, what I claim isl. The combination with traction-ropes, a device for connecting the ends thereof with a building, and a pulley carried by said device, of a car or cage, a plurality of separated guide-pulleys connected to each longitudinal side edge of the car or cage and traveling on the stretches of the traction-rope, loops or straps arranged near its edges, a rope passing through theloops or straps,and a hoisting and lowering rope attached at one end to the rope passing through said loops or straps and running around the pulleys on said device and over the central part of the car or cage to be controlled by a person therein, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the downwardly-converging traction-ropes, a cage or car having iiexible sides, a plurality of guide-pulleys connected to each longitudinal side edge of the cage or car and traveling on the converging traction-ropes, which as the cage or car descends, force the side edges of the cage or car toward each other over the person therein, a device holding the upper ends of the tractionropes spread apart, a guide-pulley engaged with said device, and a hoisting and lowering rope attached at one end to the cage or car running through the guide-pulley on said device and extending centrally over the cage or car to be controlled by a person therein, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the downwardly-couvergiug traction-ropes, a rigid bar for engaging part of a building and by which the upper ends of the traction-ropes are held spread apart, a cage or car having liexible sides provided with roped upper edges formed into loops movably engaging the traction-ropes, a plurality of guide-pulleys connected to each longitudinal side edge of the cage or car and traveling on the stretches of the tractionropes, loops or straps near the edges of the cage or car, a rope passing through theloops or straps and doubled at one end of the cage or car, a guide-pulley engaged with said rigid bar, and ahoisting and lowering rope attached at one end to the said doubled part of the rope passing through the loops or straps, running through the guide-pulley on the rigid bar and extending centrally over the cage or car, substantially as described.

4t. In a fire-escape, the combination with traction-ropes arranged to be secured to a building and to a iixed support, of a exible pouch or sack open at its upper side and end and provided with a plurality of transverse pockets in its bottom, rigid stiifening-pieces disposed in said pockets, pulleys secured to the edges of the open side of the sack or pouch and arranged to travel on the tractionropes, and a hoisting and lowering rope, suhstantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

IIARRIETT D. T. WILSON.

XVitiiesses:

JENNIE KINNEY, HENRY N. HURsT.

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